1,122 words
Witchcraft is not merely a cultural relic or a fascinating feature of African folklore. It is a real and growing societal problem that fuels violence, murder, human trafficking, and other human rights abuses across the continent. In many African societies, irrational belief in witchcraft continues to claim innocent lives—especially women, children, and the most vulnerable. (more…)
965 words
The myth of the “noble savage” — a vision of indigenous peoples as gentle, egalitarian, and in perfect harmony with nature — has bewitched the Western imagination for centuries. It is a myth born not of anthropology or history, but of guilt and escapism. (more…)
2,718 words
See also: Good Book, More of the Good Book, Doors & Bolts & Bars
I recently watched the 1966 movie The Bible: In the Beginning. It was the last of the big-budget movies with a cast of thousands and a plot centered on ancient history. In the 1950s, these sorts of films — The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben Hur (1959) — were big winners. The Bible, however, didn’t capture the magic of those earlier features. The lukewarm audience reception likewise helped to make The Bible the last of such epics. (more…)
2,919 words
For decades now, African American leaders have been calling for a formal United States apology for the American role in the slave trade, with some even demanding reparations. Indian tribes proclaim their tax-exempt status as something they are owed for a legacy of persecution by the United States. Mexican Americans in the southwest United States seek to incorporate this region, including California, into Mexico, or even to set up an independent nation, Aztlan, that will recreate the glories of the Aztec empire, destroyed centuries ago by the imperialistic Spaniards. (more…)
2,850 words
For decades now, African American leaders have been calling for a formal United States apology for the American role in the slave trade, with some even demanding reparations. Indian tribes proclaim their tax-exempt status as something they are owed for a legacy of persecution by the United States. Mexican Americans in the southwest United States seek to incorporate this region, including California, into Mexico, or even to set up an independent nation, Aztlan, that will recreate the glories of the Aztec empire, destroyed centuries ago by the imperialistic Spaniards. (more…)
2,856 words
For decades now, African American leaders have been calling for a formal United States apology for the American role in the slave trade, with some even demanding reparations. Indian tribes proclaim their tax-exempt status as something they are owed for a legacy of persecution by the United States. Mexican Americans in the southwest United States seek to incorporate this region, including California, into Mexico, or even to set up an independent nation, Aztlan, that will recreate the glories of the Aztec empire, destroyed centuries ago by the imperialistic Spaniards. (more…)
2,731 words
Editor’s Note:
The following essay is a chapter from Timo Hännikäinen’s new book Medusan kasvot. Kirjoituksia kauhusta (The Face of Medusa: Writings on Horror).
The term “folk horror” usually refers to those British horror movies of the late 1960s and early 1970s influenced by folklore and often set in rural areas in past centuries. (more…)
2,856 words
For decades now, African American leaders have been calling for a formal United States apology for the American role in the slave trade, with some even demanding reparations. Indian tribes proclaim their tax-exempt status as something they are owed for a legacy of persecution by the United States. Mexican Americans in the southwest United States seek to incorporate this region, including California, into Mexico, or even to set up an independent nation, Aztlan, that will recreate the glories of the Aztec empire, destroyed centuries ago by the imperialistic Spaniards. (more…)
